Credit a customer that bought materials for a communal area

Hi there, PPL2. 

Thank you for reaching out to the Community. I'm here to help you sort things out for you. In this scenario, you can set up the account or category you want to use for the items she bought.  

I'll show you how to do it: 

1. Go to the List menu then choose Chart of Accounts.
2. Right-click anywhere and click New. 
3. Choose Expense and click Continue. 
4. Enter the account name and other info needed.
5. Press Save & Close.

Then, you can enter the funds you received from your customer. Please refer to this article: Record an invoice payment.  

I still suggest reaching out to your accountant to ensure your book is accurate when recording this type of transaction. 

If you have any other questions, or if I can be of more assistance, please reach back out! Have a great rest of your morning.

Hi AileneA,

Thank you for your reply, and apologies for my late reply to you.

I'm not sure that answers my question, or I don't understand how it answers it. The customer has only sent me part payment of the invoice, with the remainder covered by the cost of the materials she bought.

So,

1. I need to show that her invoice is paid in full, even though the payment I received wasn't the full amount.

2. I need to record the expenditure on the materials, even though the payment didn't come from the communal fees accounts.
3. Make all this reconcile correctly.

If I show the invoice being paid in full, it does not match what I received in the bank, plus the payments out won't appear on the bank statement. Am I trying to do too much here, and should I just keep it simple? The bank account balance will reconcile, but the transactions won't match. Does that matter?

Advice appreciated, thanks.

Thanks for following up with us, @PPL2. 

I recommend consulting with your accounting professional for this one. Your accountant will know the best way to record the data based on your buisness needs. If you don't have an accountant, don't sweat it. You can find one here in our Resource Center. 

In the meantime, feel free to look through the help articles I've included below that cover how to handle credits and expenses in QuickBooks Desktop. 

• How to enter expenses in QuickBooks Desktop
• Give your customer a credit or refund

Please let me know if there is anything else that I can help you with. I'm always around to lend a hand. Take care!